This is my first android phone (after 4 years of iPhones). I really like the N5! I'm very happy I bought it.
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Nexus 5
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This is my first android phone (after 4 years of iPhones). I really like the N5! I'm very happy I bought it.
I've had my Nexus 5 since they were released and I'm extremely happy with it.
I use Qualcomm's BatteryGuru App, designed specifically for the Snapdragon chip in the N5, I now enjoy long battery life.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xiam.snapdragon.app
I use Qualcomm's BatteryGuru App, designed specifically for the Snapdragon chip in the N5, I now enjoy long battery life.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xiam.snapdragon.app
I read that it can mess with wifi going on/off erratically. I use better wifi on/off to manage wifi so I have avoided Qualcomms app
Interested in impressions..
Interested in impressions..
The BatteryGuru app only works if one is patient, allows it to spend the first week or so learning how you use your phone, and then allow it to control the various settings it's brilliantly designed to manage.
Often people install it, fail to read the tutorial so they know what to expect, and if they don't get instant gratification they uninstall it. It does require about three weeks to realize true gains in battery life. Then it continues to improve from that point forward.
I've got it running on both my wife's Nexus 5 and mine, with measurably strong improvements on both phones. Bear in mind it's not for all Snapdragon chips, only the ones specified.
Often people install it, fail to read the tutorial so they know what to expect, and if they don't get instant gratification they uninstall it. It does require about three weeks to realize true gains in battery life. Then it continues to improve from that point forward.
I've got it running on both my wife's Nexus 5 and mine, with measurably strong improvements on both phones. Bear in mind it's not for all Snapdragon chips, only the ones specified.
That battery life is actually pretty bad IMO.
You will end up getting 2:30 hours screen on time.
That's one reason for which I returned the Nexus. Love stock Android, but there were many compromises: camera was worse than my SGS3, vibration motor really really weak, speakers just barely ok, battery on par with my SGS3 (so no improvement in battery life despite spending 339), etc.
Best thing was the screen. So so clean and nice.
Everything else was just... meh.
While agree the battery isn't that great, I generally get around 4-4:30 hours screen time. 2:30 seems really low. You sure you didn't have a rouge app eating the battery?
That's not my battery life.
When I had the Nexus 5 I usually got 3 hours screen on time. 3:30 max with luck.
The improvement over my SGS3 was really low. I only got 30 minutes more screen on time with the Nexus.
I actually had very little apps installed. I don't have weird apps. I even had Greenify, brightness at 15-20%, Google now turned off, no NFC, no BT, no 4G available in my area back when I had it, etc.
Still, battery life was not the main reason I returned the device.
It was the microphone problem while recording video. Also the vibration motor being so weak.
I have the Nexus 7, so I have my stock Android fix thanks to it.
Will battery guru help users who aren't auto syncing lots of apps? The main thing I need sync for is gmail. Everything else I have set to sync as little as possible (or manual if I can) because I simply don't need anything else syncing in the background. I guess my question is for those already taking steps to maximize battery life (such as managing wifi, not having location services on high accuracy etc.) do you still see an effect?
I'm actually really happy with my Nexus 5 battery life so far. But I will concede that I'm not a heavy user. 3hrs of screen on time is very heavy usage for me because I do longer web browsing sessions on my ipad or nexus 7. On an average day 1.5hrs screen on time is more likely (and I still feel like I am using using my phone a lot but clearly not as much as some people here). I've haven't had any issue getting through a day and in general my battery only gets to ~30% (on 3hr SOT days) and that's staying up to 1-2am before plugging in.
Standby time is very good with this phone so I am happy. I am still in the honeymoon period but this phone has made me ridiculously happy so far. Everything I was worried about has been a non-issue and the speed and screen just make me smile
I can only ever get 4 hours SOT if I am doing very light usage. And by light I mean 50% of that SOT spent reading an article on Pocket or something where the CPU and GPU aren't being pushed at all. And I would have to be on wifi the entire time with great reception. Which honestly does happen on occasion when I don't have class.
But a majority of the time, I never get SOT anywhere close to that on my typical 16-18 hours off the charger.
At first when I got my Nexus 5 it was even worse. Some apps were causing unnecessary idle drain. I got fed up with it enough I installed some root apps (GSAM, System monitor, BetterBatteryStats, Wakelock detector, CPU spy, etc.) to determine exactly what was causing it. Saw some weird wake locks, some apps causing higher CPU frequencies, and the like. Pinpointed them and uninstalled them. Noticed a difference right away. Still nothing fantastic. So I installed Franco kernel and really only noticed an improvement for idle drain. SOT didn't change. And more recently, like a couple weeks, I installed greenify. Still no change noticed despite tons of apps being hibernated automatically.
The fact is, the battery just isn't great. A 5" phone with high end CPU, GPU, 1080p display, LCD backlit, etc. just requires a lot of power to get through the day. A puny 2300mAh battery just doesn't cut it. There is no quick fix to the battery life on the Nexus 5. The battery is just too small.
And also of note, it isn't a problem with my device. This is my second Nexus 5 and will probably be getting another one because of backlight bleeding.
I like my N5 but overall I think I will probably go back to the Galaxy line. It's just the little things I think my GS3 did better. The only real advantage to having a Nexus is the updates but the battery is way better on the N5 than on the GS3
Yes you will, it just won't be as dramatic as if it were left alone to do what it's designed to do. It manages Wi-Fi well if you allow it to, like I mentioned earlier, impatience is what causes most users to give up before reaping the rewards of this well written app. It's not for instant gratification. Designed for long term results, it does very well.
I find it manages Wi-Fi absolutely terribly. Even after weeks of never connecting it constantly prompts me to connect to the 'open' networks in London. Infuriating.
I've also found that battery life has dropped off considerably since I upgraded to 4G. Does this radio kill battery faster?
i wish you could disable the wifi management portion since i find that 'better wifi on/off' is fantastic.
You can. Go into the app, settings, general - turn Manage WiFi off.
I think mine has developed a hint of backlight bleed. The top one or two rows of pixels are now looking a bit brighter than the rest. Tiny distraction and I'm not bothered but interesting that its developed over time.
Still very happy with my Nexus 5. I was initially worried about the camera but have been satisfied with the results.
Taken with stock camera with HDR+ only.
Taken with stock camera with HDR+ only.
I got to finally put my dirty mitts on a Nexus 5. I was so happy with the phone that I thought I should sell my 5s for one.
What really struck me was the dimensions of the phone are the perfect size for me. It's bigger than the 5s, but not huge compared to the Galaxy S4. It was also nice and light.
The rubbery/textured backing made me feel I had a good grip on it.
The screen.. it may not have the colour reproduction as the 5s display, but it was incredibly sharp. I'm not sure how to explain this, but I felt I had a more direct touch with the display.. Umm.. kind of like there wasn't a thick piece of glass in front of it. This is something I've noticed with my 5s, and even my old 4. Just a personal preference.
The camera.. eh, I didn't get much time playing with it to gather an opinion but it seemed to be on the better side of things.
I'll stay with my 5s, but damn, what a nice phone.
What really struck me was the dimensions of the phone are the perfect size for me. It's bigger than the 5s, but not huge compared to the Galaxy S4. It was also nice and light.
The rubbery/textured backing made me feel I had a good grip on it.
The screen.. it may not have the colour reproduction as the 5s display, but it was incredibly sharp. I'm not sure how to explain this, but I felt I had a more direct touch with the display.. Umm.. kind of like there wasn't a thick piece of glass in front of it. This is something I've noticed with my 5s, and even my old 4. Just a personal preference.
The camera.. eh, I didn't get much time playing with it to gather an opinion but it seemed to be on the better side of things.
I'll stay with my 5s, but damn, what a nice phone.
What made you go back to the 5s?
I have both phones....and at this point in time I really prefer the nexus 5. It has addressed all the weaknesses I used to see in android compared to iphone.
The screen is extremely accurate in color reproduction, nothing crazy saturated like other android phones. Plus...the screen size is perfect.
The touch input lag seems to have been addressed here, and is something I have read reviews regarding. It is every bit as responsive as my 5s to touch.
The speed of the phone and smoothness of the system is on par with the 5s, and rivals the 5s in some areas.
The camera is good. The iphone 5s captures good photos, but it over exposes some shots. The HDR+ on the nexus 5 takes the best photos I have seen from a smart phone.
Battery life is comparable to the 5s.
Updates are guaranteed.
Productivity is much higher on this phone, largely due to integration from google.
Can't really think of something that the iphone 5s is exceedingly better at, though I have been trying to....
Come again? The N5 and S4 are essentially identical in size. The N5 is .05 mm wider and .03 mm shorter than the S4. They are identical in weight. (4.59 oz/130 grams.)
